Various types of planar disks are used to record digital and analogue information. Among these are CD's and DVD's which often contain entertainment content such as music or films. These discs are typically packaged in a holder that functions to both protect the disc, and to provide an attractive display at the point of sale. The most common package is the hinged, transparent plastic case known as the “Jewel Case”. The jewel case comprises a hub with bendable fingers that engage the center hole of the disc to hold it securely in place. Even though widely accepted, the jewel case has several disadvantages, among them the cost of production, and the fact that plastic is an environmentally unfriendly material.
As a result a number of attempts have been made to provide a CD package made of a more environmentally friendly material such as paper board, preferably a package that can be printed from a single blank. Among such prior art packages include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,681,928; 5,931,293 and 6,375,003. While these devices address certain disadvantages of the jewel case, the devices themselves have many disadvantages. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,681,928; 5,931,293 disclose a paper blank cut and folded to comprise a pouch for holding the CD. Such a pouch does not hold the CD securely, however. In addition, the CD, which may itself have important information printed on it, is obscured inside the pouch. The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,003 does not employ a pouch, but rather holding means that engage the center hole of the CD. While this solution allows the CD to be visible, the CD is not held particularly securely.
There exists a need, therefore, for a CD package that may be printed from a single paper board blank of for example recycled paper, that is simple to produce, that holds the CD securely, and that allows the CD itself to be visible inside the packaging.